Tracing The Windowpane
by Parallel-Blue13115
Summary: Straight Cougar has always been a man of secrets. A story about the Speedster starting from his early childhood and goes on up. Spoilers for those who haven't seen the whole series
1. Reflection

**Disclaimer: **Don't own s.CRY.ed. But I DO own Jaid.

****

A/N: Ooooh here I go agaaaaaaaain. Welps, I figured we knew about Ryuho's past…and Mimori's past…but I wanted to do Cougar's past. We know nothing about him other than that he spent some odd years with his 'little brother', Kazuma. So I decided to write a fic about what MIGHT HAVE happened to him as a kid.

Now I really don't have any insight into his past, so if I get something wrong, KINDLY tell me…please. And um…yeah…This story has SOME fighting scenes, but it's basically about Cougar and his past so forgive me if it's not all THAT exciting. I can't write action scenes worth spit…unless it's humor. But that's beside the point. If you're the kind of person who thrives on action, you'll find yourself getting bored rather fast. So maybe this kind of story isn't for you…unless you're absolutely obsessed with Cougar…like me. (Grin)

Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

-----------------------------

****

Tracing The Windowpane

--Chapter One--

Reflection

He couldn't remember much of his past. Or of mother and father. He couldn't remember what they looked like or sounded like or how he felt when they hugged him.

Once, he remembered, they had given him a name. He couldn't remember _when_ they had given him the name or what exactly had prompted them to think of it, except he remembered that he always liked to run. Whether it would be running from them or to them or running in general, he remembered that he always liked to run.

His mother would chase after him and once when she had caught up to him, out of breath, she would run her fingers through his hair and smile. "My little Cougar," She would mumble. "Just as fast as the wind."

They had named him Straight Cougar, Cougar after the animal who was so cunning and ran with such celerity. It suited him nicely. God knew how much he loved to run.

He couldn't remember his home or what color it was or how many stories high it was. But he knew that it had been somewhere in the Lost Ground, a derogatory name for what used to be a city in Japan before the great uprising just one year before he had been born.

He remembered the inside of his house, with his mother's small collection of China plates and his father's big beautiful piano. Cougar recalled trying to play the piano once, and his father took him under his arms and seated the boy on his lap.

His father had showed him how to play the piano just a little. Before father had to sell it to make money for the family. And Cougar remembered his father's large library of books. But maybe it wasn't so large. It may have looked so large because Cougar was so very small.

His father was very intelligent. And he was always saying that he had to find 'true culture'. Cougar never knew what the word 'culture' meant, but it had to have been something very important if his dad was always looking for it. At times he wished his father would stop losing this thing called 'culture'– – especially if it was so vital to him.

Someday when he grew up, he wanted to be just like father.

But his mother was very bright too, always looking up things on the computer and talking to men when they'd come to the house looking to collect something called 'rent'.

And even though Cougar couldn't remember what his parents looked like, he remembered that they were very warm and loving people.

-----------------------------

His real memory started at the age of seven, when a big fire swept across his neighborhood and his mom and dad ushered him away from the home while they tried to help other citizens escape from the fire. Cougar wanted to help too. He remembered his father's favorite books and his mother's China. He knew how much it meant to them and he didn't want them to be sad without it.

But the fire was heavy and it barricaded his every movement. Then he remembered running…running so very…very fast…

Then he tripped and fell, skinning his knees. He looked back towards the fire, rising so high above him, as though it mocked him.

It wanted to say,_ 'I am so very big, and you are so very, very small…'_

He whimpered and huddled into a corner, bringing his bleeding knees up to his tear-stained face.

"Mother…Father…"

And then the fire was gone.

He woke up the next morning, still curled in the same position, to the constant rapping of a cane against his battered knee.

"Come on kid, get up." Came a deep voice. Whoever this guy was, Cougar wished that he'd stop hitting him with the cane. "No use in lounging around like this."

Cougar looked up groggily at the man. He had a full brown beard and moustache with shaggy hair that fell into his eyes and looked as though it had stayed unkempt for weeks. On his head was a gray hat, like the ones Cougar had seen in the books his father had owned– – like a cowboy's or something. He wore a long tan overcoat, charred and dirtied by last night's fire. In his right hand he held a black cane. Just by looking at this man, Cougar could tell that the cane was more for decoration than for mere problems like backaches.

The young boy said nothing as the man continued to stare down at him. "You deaf?"

"…No Sir," Cougar mumbled.

"Then pick yourself off the ground there. Everyone will be trampling all over you if you lay there all day."

Using the wall behind him as support, Cougar slowly began to push himself up until he was standing awkwardly. The older man cupped Cougar's chin with his large hand, forcing Cougar to look up at him.

"Young, flesh tone seems right…You're one healthy kid I must say." The man smiled slightly. "I lost part of my farm last night to that fire. My workers up and left me for fear of another Native Alter attack. We were lucky that the firemen were able to contain the fire so quickly, regarding how wild it was. But that doesn't help me now. I have no one to tend to my crops or fields." He released Cougar's chin and Cougar's eyes immediately went back to looking at the ground, as though it had been drawn like a magnet. "Where are your parents kid?"

"…I don't know," Cougar replied honestly. "They said they'd come back for me but I can't find them."

The older man continued to stare at Cougar with great attentiveness. He knew that this kid wouldn't see his parents again, just like the other kids who were affected by the fire would never see their parents again. They were orphans now, just like the boy standing before him.

"I have a spare room in the back. Food's not cheap but that's not something that you, being a kid, can worry about." Cougar somehow found the will to stare up at this man. "What I'm saying is, you need something and I need something. Apparently, you've got nowhere else to go and my money-makers have bailed on me." The man lowered himself to bended knee so that he could see eye to eye with the boy. "Come work for me and I'll take you in off the streets."

At the innocent age of seven, Cougar didn't know much about death. He had never experienced it and was never told about it. The words that this man spoke now were so foreign and yet so unnerving, as though deep down in the boy's mind, he knew exactly what this man was saying. 'Take you in off the streets' and 'nowhere else to go' didn't register completely with Cougar. He knew that he wanted his mother and father and he knew that he didn't much like this man, especially the words that he was speaking.

"But I have to wait for mother and father," Cougar protested, his words falling to a faint whisper. "I can't have them looking all over for me…"

_'Poor kid doesn't even realize that his parents are dead. There were no survivors from anyone who went near the fire last night. Didn't he hear about the big explosion last night after the fire reached the power plant?'_ Then the man sighed. _'Those Native Alters think that they can get away with anything. Ever since they gained their abilities eight years ago…'_

This man didn't care much for euphemisms. If something was to be said, it should be said outright and beating around the bush was just plain dumb.

"Kid," The man started. "I wouldn't be counting too much on your parents coming to find you."

"But they wouldn't forget me…!"

"No they wouldn't," The man interrupted. "if they were alive that is."

The words this man spoke were so icy now and seemed to chill Cougar's soul. Alive? If? Cougar knew what 'if' meant. His father used it a lot when he talked.

_'If the Great Uprising hadn't happened…'_

_'If there were no Alter Users…'_

If, Cougar knew, was a very powerful word.

And then, he realized, mother and father wouldn't be looking for him. Because _if_ they were alive, then they would be. The boy knew it would be a long time before he completely understood.

"Come on then," The man said, placing a hand on Cougar's shoulder. "No use in gawking at the ground or the wall behind us." And then the man stood up. He was much taller than Cougar remembered him being just minutes before when he first saw him standing above him. Now he seemed to stretch forever towards the sky and tower above the boy, almost hauntingly. "You're under my care now. You're my worker."

"Worker?"

"It's someone who does jobs under the employment of…" The man shook his head. "It'll be better just to show you. You're just a kid. You don't know anything."

Those words came bitterly and it didn't take a genius to figure that out. Cougar was young, but far from stupid. "That's not true," Cougar argued, much to the man's surprise. "I know lots of things."

And then the man laughed, as though he didn't believe the boy. "My name is Jaid Cain, your new boss and guardian. What's your name kid?"

"Straight Cougar," Cougar replied, feeling somewhat more comfortable after hearing the man's name.

"That'll do," Jaid told him and patted Cougar on the back.

-----------------------------

Jaid Cain was an American man who had come to Japan ten years ago to begin his industry. Farming was what he had done back in Alabama (wherever that was, Cougar figured), the same as what his father had done before him. Jaid just happened to be in Kanagawa at the time of the Great Uprising. Jaid never found a reason to leave the Lost Ground, and even now, he didn't intend to.

He wasn't a wealthy man but he wasn't poor either. Like he claimed, he owned a farm right on the hills behind what had used to be partially a small urban neighborhood. The fire had caught hold of his property, damaging more than one-fourth of his crops and fields. While such a minimal amount of destruction was caused, it truly _had_ frightened off all of his workers.

Sitting back away from the entrance of the fields was a small brown house, only a story tall but its width made up for height. The house was old, Cougar noted as he caught sight of the paint chipping away from the wood and the decadence of the plot around the house. Shingles dangled from the rooftop and the chimney was in dire need of repair. The only thing living were the weeds that had sprouted up around the house, choking the life from anything beautiful that used to grow there. It seemed as though the workers had spent more time in the fields than around the house.

"I'm not a housekeeper," Jaid had admitted on the way down the dirt path to his house. "Never have been."

And he was right. The inside was just as disorderly as the outdoors. Dishes gathered in the sink, clothes lay scattered on the floor, and dirt decorated the counters and furniture around the house. Cougar rubbed the side of his arm nervously. He had remembered being poor, oh yes he did. But this felt…out of place. There were no happy thoughts or feelings here. In fact, he sensed a great sorrow.

Just like how he felt when he realized that mother and father were never coming back.

He remembered his mother's cooking and her stories that she used to read to him at night. He remembered his father taking him to the parade once and carrying him home that night, sound asleep against his back.

He remembered his father playing the piano and how pretty it had sounded.

But then again when he recalled it, he couldn't remember why it had sounded so pretty. So pretty…and so sad…

He couldn't remember their faces or what they had been wearing the night before.

But he remembered the night they died. And he remembered why they had died.

-----------------------------

The story will start going semi-fast (after all, we have his WHOLE childhood to cover don't we? Lol) from here on out. Sorry if the story kind of stunk first off. I'm trying to put things in place now and I feel like I rushed things a bit. I apologize for that…

Anyway, please R&R and thanks to anyone who is taking time to read this.

PB13115


	2. Little Runaway

****

Disclaimer: Go away. Oh fine. I own Jaid, Mackey, the storekeeper, and his wife. Everything else is um…not mine. But the farm is mine. But Cougar's not mine. But the shopkeeper's store is mine. But the Lost Ground isn't mine. Okay forget it.

****

A/N: Ya know, it's really hard writing from the POV of a seven-year old. They're just…so naïve. Well maybe that's just me. Anyway, I think us s.CRY.ed fans should write an e-mail to the newcategory e-mail of FF Net (I can't put the address cause FF Net won't accept the story then) and ask for a s.CRY.ed section. Just because it gets really annoying always having to search the misc. section.

-----------------------------

Tracing The Windowpane

--Chapter Two--

Little Runaway

That next month was difficult for Cougar. Jaid was a man who expected many things from people, and no less from Cougar either. Jaid spent most of his time trying to recruit new workers for his farm, now that fall had come and gone and December was upon them. But Jaid was not impatient. Before he started on any kind of work, he applied himself to being Cougar's teacher first. He was not a harsh teacher, but a very serious one.

Cougar found it fascinating how Jaid had all the time in the world to show him things like the rules to gathering firewood (wood with moss or live pine needles took longer to burn and therefore, Jaid chose not to collect that kind), preparing for winter, rationing the most important things, such as food, and still found time to tend to the farm itself _and_ search for employees.

But Cougar's new guardian made it apparent that they would be spending the winter alone and had no choice but to fend for themselves. The way he made it sound scared Cougar a bit, and at night the boy would catch a glimpse of Jaid's light on in his room. He could hear Jaid at night, talking to himself, wondering how he was going to repair the damages from the fire AND still have enough money to pay the rent.

Cougar knew he worried, but Jaid never admitted it. If there was one thing to know about Jaid, it was that he was very proud and never accepted help unless he could pay someone back in return.

But although Cougar admired Jaid's strength, he was also bitter towards his new guardian as well. Cougar tried his best to be a good 'worker' (as Jaid had called it), but he was just too small and too little. Jaid never showed his annoyance for Cougar's youth and lack of ability to do anything productive, but the small boy could see it in his eyes.

Jaid treated Cougar just like a 'worker', and seemed to fail to notice that he was only a boy. Although his guardian was a brilliant teacher, he lacked the devotion a father had for a child. There wasn't much warmth or love shown in his actions. And it was hard for Cougar not to look at this man as his own father. The wounds of losing his real family were still open.

Cougar did all the things that Jaid could not– – well, not that he COULDN'T, but never had the time for. Ironically, it was also Jaid who had showed him _how_ to do those same things. It wasn't long before Cougar could master these tasks without Jaid's help, but he also knew that he wouldn't have been able to have done them in the first place if Jaid hadn't shown him first.

The boy learned to find and stack the firewood, and do the dishes, and the laundry, and clean the house. He was taught which stores were the best to go to if he wanted to buy bread or household supplies. The only drawback was that Cougar was relatively shy and it took a while for the shopkeepers to find out exactly what he wanted.

Cougar went into town alone and shopped alone, only carrying the list and money his guardian gave him. And he came back alone, carrying the groceries that he was sent there to get. Often times he came home late, only because he'd walk slowly, the interest of something else catching his eye.

Inside Cougar's soul he felt the hole within him deepen as he yearned for what he saw around him.

Family.

But he was different now. Different than all the other kids that he would see on the street, locked hand in hand with both parents, and he couldn't help but stop and stare. Father with his book in hand and mother with her small decorated fan.

_God, please make this pain go away…_

And then a tear would fall from his eye.

-----------------------------

"You're home late again, boy," Jaid said as Cougar pushed himself in through the door, the snow beginning to fall from the sky. Jaid always called Cougar 'boy'. He said it was because he wasn't good at remembering names and 'boy' would suit Cougar just fine anyway.

Jaid was writing another article in the paper– – the eighth one since Cougar arrived one month ago. No one would respond to the letter. Jaid already knew that. But he still did it to keep 'everyone's hopes alive'. Who 'everyone' was, Cougar didn't know.

"I'm sorry…Sir," Cougar mumbled, the groceries in his arms seeming to weigh him down much more under Jaid's stern glare.

"Don't apologize," Jaid told him. "Just don't do it again." And Jaid had told Cougar that every time he came in late. And Cougar still came in late every night.

"Yes…Sir…" Cougar's eyes dropped to the floor.

Sighing, Jaid set his pen down on his desk and stood up. "Boy, are you gonna be like that for the rest of your life?"

"What…do you mean…Sir?" Cougar's eyes were still on the floor.

"First of all, don't call me 'Sir'. I ain't no friggin king or anything." At this remark, Cougar found the courage to raise his eyes slightly. "Secondly, if you go on having such bad social skills, people will take advantage of you and take you for everything you've got."

"Yes…Si– – " Cougar bit his tongue, cursing the habit that had developed. He felt a giant hand slap down on his shoulder and the boy jerked back.

"No more 'Sir'. Call me that again and you'll be sleeping with the chickens tonight."

Jaid wasn't serious, but he liked to pretend that he was.

"Y-Yes…I understand."

Jaid arched an eyebrow. "Your parents beat you or neglect you or something? I've never seen anyone as petrified as you."

Cougar took the statement offensively. "Of course not!" The boy's eyes narrowed.

Then his guardian laughed. "Woah, chill out boy. I didn't mean any harm." And Jaid stood up, arching his back. "Just…sometimes you scare me, not being able to talk like a real man. You don't wanna grow up being weak, do ya?"

The scorn in Cougar's eyes was enough for Jaid.

"All right, all right. Hey don't make that face okay? It'll freeze that way." Jaid gestured to the conjoined kitchen next to him. "Get to those dishes will ya? They're stinking the whole house up." And then he went back to his letter.

-----------------------------

Cougar laid in bed that night, his room smaller than the kitchen itself. Not because Jaid gave him the smallest room, but because the house was in fact so small. Much of the other rooms were used as storage for the farm. His room was bare, the walls old and the paint deteriorated and there was nothing besides his tiny bed and the lamp on the desk beside the bedpost.

There was a window above his bed, where he watched the snowflakes drift down from the sky. He envied them somehow, and wished that he could go away too. He wanted to see his parents again, but with every passing day that he was without them, he forgot more and more of what they looked like. What they sounded like. And even what they felt like, their warmth dissipating.

He was unhappy here in his new home. It was hard to like his new guardian, even if Jaid was very intelligent and a very painstaking teacher. It wasn't that he didn't like learning new things, like how to take care of the house or go to the store, but there was something lacking in the relationship between the two. Cougar knew that Jaid didn't really like him and the fact that Cougar was so small frustrated Jaid to no end.

The thought of being a failure didn't appeal much to the boy, nor did it to his guardian. Things just weren't working out.

Cougar crawled out of bed, the brown t-shirt Jaid gave him nearly reaching the floor. He knew Jaid would be awake, like he always was. Cougar rarely ever saw his guardian sleep. He padded out of the room and down the hall, where the lamp illuminated the bottom of Jaid's door.

He reached up, turned the knob to the door, and peeked inside. Jaid was at his desk, his hands grasping the back of his neck in an agitated manner. For a moment, Cougar felt the want to retreat, but his feet were frozen in place.

"It's awfully late, boy, for you to be up." Cougar heard Jaid mutter.

"Mister…Jaid…"

"Jaid." His guardian corrected, a hint of asceticism in his voice.

"Right…Jaid…" Cougar began to fidget, his palms growing sweaty.

"Actually," Jaid turned his head to stare at the young boy. "It's kind of a good thing that you're awake. Saves me the trouble of having to bail out on you tomorrow morning."

Cougar quirked an eyebrow, puzzlement residing in his wide eyes.

"I've been called away for a dealer's trade," Jaid said, averting his gaze back to whatever it was on his desk. "I'll be gone for about a week." Then, staring at Cougar out of the corner of his eye, "Think you'll be okay here by yourself for a week?"

"But…"

"You can walk to the store by yourself, I've taught you how to do that. Just buy one of those pre-made dinners…ya know…TV Dinners or whatever they call them. And you know how to clean up the house and that you're supposed to stay away from people you don't know. And put firewood in the fire when it gets low. Don't worry about getting new wood. I've brought about a week's worth inside already."

Cougar shook his head and sighed– – a trait he picked up from Jaid after seeing him do it so many times. "That's not it…"

"You need to learn how to survive on your own. I'll give you the money you need to buy what you want, all right?"

Cougar slowly brought his eyes up to meet Jaid's. No. It wasn't 'all right'. But he found that the only thing he could do was nod his head.

"Good. Now that that's settled, it's best that you get back to bed. I'll make out a list for you and leave it on the kitchen table."

-----------------------------

Cougar found he couldn't sleep that night. He stayed up, staring out his window and up into the cloudy night. He had never been left alone by himself before…at least…not temporarily.

It terrified him a little, to think of what it would be like without Jaid being there. Although he didn't much care for the man, having anyone there was better than no one at all.

Tracing his finger against the windowpane, he stared back at his reflection from the glass.

"Mother…father…" He whispered, drowsiness overwhelming him as he found himself slumping over the windowsill, his head nestled between his arms.

-----------------------------

When the boy awoke the next morning, he found himself laying against his pillow, the covers pulled up to his face. Startled for just a moment, he threw the covers from off of him and glanced around. Surely he hadn't gone to sleep like that. He remembered the windowsill and the coldness of the wood against his cheek.

"Jaid?" He whispered. No. No act of kindness could ever come past that man. Cougar was most certain of it.

Wandering out into the living room that joined with the kitchen, he climbed up onto the chair and looked at the table where he found a piece of paper with sloppy writing scribbled all over it.

He snatched the paper and looked it over. Then a sudden embarrassment washed over him.

Cougar had never been taught how to read.

He recognized a few words, like "money" and "drawer" and "market", for he had seen those words numerous times when his mother and father would take him out, but he was rendered clueless when it came to anything such as a full-length sentence.

No doubt Jaid was gone by now, left to do whatever it was that he did. It left Cougar feeling a little uneasy, but he tried making the most of it by convincing himself that for one week, Jaid couldn't order him around like some kind of useless servant and for one week, he could be a kid.

The thought brought a smile to his face.

He ran back into his room and changed into his day clothes and then sprinted outside. The snow was at least two feet deep now, deep enough to do anything he'd like in it. Retreating back inside once again, he rummaged through Jaid's drawers and grabbed a pair of oversized gloves and an oversized hat and pulled them on. Then he turned and found Jaid's stash of scarves and earmuffs and grabbed a pair of those too.

Jumping back into the snow, he welcomed the coolness, laughing harder than he could remember. He hadn't felt so happy since his parents had died. Rolling over in the snow, he scooped the white fluff into his hands and molded it into a ball. Cougar began to roll it along the surface of the snow until it accumulated more snow and grew larger and larger. When it became a nuisance to push any further, Cougar reached down and began to make a second ball.

His father did this with him before, he remembered. His father called it a snowman because of the impersonation the snow gave to an actual human being. After that, Cougar never forgot how to make one.

Removing his gloves, scarf, hat, and earmuffs, Cougar accessorized his masterpiece and then stood back to admire it. He immediately felt the cold hit him, but he didn't mind. For just a moment, he could remember what father looked like.

-----------------------------

Before dark, Cougar grabbed some of the money off the counter and trotted down to the market, about two miles away. Upon reaching the doors, the boy brushed the snow from off his back.

"Ah, Cougar! My little customer!" The old storekeeper greeted.

"Hello, Sir," Cougar smiled.

"What does Jaid need today?" The storekeeper came from around his counter and stood in front of Cougar, awaiting a list.

"It's actually for me, Sir," Cougar replied. "Jaid's away on business."

The storekeeper frowned. "And he left you alone?" At Cougar's nod, the shopkeeper shook his head. "Just like what he used to do to Brandon…"

"Pardon Sir?"

"Nothing." Then he pointed to Cougar's money. "You put that away now. Tonight it's on me."

Cougar paused and hesitantly put the money away.

"Now what would you like son?" The shopkeeper gestured around the store.

"Uh…well I can't cook so…"

"Pre-made?" The shopkeeper interrupted. "All right then kiddo." And the shopkeeper left him for a moment.

Several minutes later, the shopkeeper returned with a bag in his hand.

"That's all for you," The shopkeeper said, handing Cougar the bag. You be a good boy now and run along home before the storm gets worse."

Cougar beamed. "Thank you Sir."

"Merry Christmas boy," The storekeeper waved.

-----------------------------

It was nightfall now and the snow had worsened. Only recently had the streets been plowed, but Cougar still had to trudge through the snow. He hadn't gotten far when a black car pulled up alongside him and the windows rolled down.

"Cougar?" A deep voice asked.

Shivering, Cougar turned to look at the driver. It was Jaid's friend, Mackey.

"What are you doing out here at this hour?" Mackey asked. "Where's Jaid?"

"Away on business…" Cougar said, his teeth chattering.

Sighing, Mackey unlocked the door to the passenger's seat. "Not again." Then, looking back at the boy, "Get in. I'll take you home."

Cougar was actually relieved that Mackey had shown up. He wasn't sure how long it would be until his hands and feet grew entirely numb. He ran around the backside of the car and opened the door. Climbing in, Mackey took the bag from him until Cougar was settled in the seat. Then he handed the bag back and began to drive.

"This isn't the first time he's left someone at home," Mackey said a few minutes later. "He's been like this ever since his wife died."

Cougar's head jerked up. "He had a wife?"

"Uh-huh," Mackey nodded. "And a kid too."

"Where's his kid?"

Mackey tensed. "There…was an accident." He glanced over at Cougar. "But I'm not entitled to tell you what it is. If you're curious, you should ask Jaid."

Defeated, Cougar sulked back in his chair. "Jaid hates me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because…" Cougar fidgeted.

"He treats you like you're replaceable…just like a 'worker', right?"

At the sound of the word 'worker', Cougar averted his gaze to Mackey. "Yeah."

"Thought so." Then Mackey blew a strand of black hair from his unshaven face. "He's not that bad, really. And he definitely doesn't hate you. If he did, he wouldn't have brought you into his home."

"But he said that it was because I was his 'worker'." Cougar argued.

"Yeah, good old Jaid says a lot of things…but the truth is," He reached over and ruffled the boy's hair. "he really does care about you. You must remind him of his son in some way."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You see…Jaid acts like a hardheaded ruffian, but deep down, it's just because he's suffering."

Cougar ran the word over in his mind. _Suffering…_

"He misses his family. Never has let anyone close to him after that. Doesn't have many true friends that he doesn't consider workers." Then Mackey paused. "Except me, but hey, I'm the one who brought him over here in the first place."

"Here to the Lost Ground?"

"Oh it wasn't the Lost Ground when we first came here, Cougar. It was an actual place. An actual _city_. You see, Jaid and I have been friends for well over thirty years."

"Wow," Cougar marveled. "That's a long time."

"It sure is. We went into the farming business together. It was easier because Jaid already lived on a farm. When we grew up, I was the one who heard about this big promotion here and convinced Jaid and his family to come here with me. Perhaps I'm the cause of his unhappiness."

"Why?"

"If we had never come here, then his family would still be alive today." Then he smiled sadly and turned to Cougar. "Jaid cares about you. Just…in his own way."

In his own way? What way was that?

"He doesn't mean to be hard on you, it's just all he knows."

And then they pulled into the farm.

-----------------------------

The storm worsened that night and the wind howled like a wolf to the moon. The snow beat against the windows, as though it meant to break them. And the lights kept flickering. Cougar was huddled on the couch, almost worried. What if the windows broke? What if the lights went out?

…And then the lights went out.

"Great…" Cougar mumbled. He fumbled around the room, looking for the flashlight he had found in Jaid's closet earlier. He tripped over numerous things…mostly things that belonged to Jaid, until he finally ran into the wall and fell down on his bottom.

"Ow!" Cougar exclaimed, rubbing his sore bottom. His other hand was used to prop himself up so that he wouldn't fall backwards, but as his fingers moved along the carpet, he felt something hard and long. It was the flashlight.

Grinning from ear to ear, he flipped the switch and welcomed the wave of light that showered over the walls and banished the darkness. Pushing himself from off the floor, he moved towards the door that led to the basement. He wasn't scared of the basement. Actually the basement was very warm because of the heating in it (it was provided by the walls themselves because of how they had been constructed) and it was very cozy and had no windows.

He crept down the steps, shutting the door behind him and jumped to the bottom. Boxes were stacked everywhere, like tall pillars, each labeled with its own memory that was kept inside of it. Out of curiosity, Cougar began to look through the labels on the boxes. He couldn't read what they said, so he started at one stack and pulled a box down from the top.

It wasn't heavy, so it was easy to carry. Setting it on the floor, Cougar promptly tore open the box and used the flashlight to peek inside. He coughed and waved away the dust before reaching his hand into the box and feeling around for whatever he thought was interesting. He grabbed a stack of envelopes, all stuffed with letters. Seating himself on the floor, he looked over them.

Still, he couldn't read what they said. But they looked old and faded and probably important. The handwriting on the front and in the letters was very neat…very delicate…like a woman's.

Dropping the letters back inside, he reached back into the box and used the flashlight to look through the box. His fingers fell across something flat and smooth and with sudden interest, he pulled it out.

It was a picture frame of a man, a woman, and a baby.

The man, Cougar thought, looked just like Jaid…except…he was very young. The woman and the child, he figured, were his family– – the same ones that Mackey had said died. Fingering the glass carefully, Cougar stared at the woman. She looked warm, happy, with golden locks that fell around her shapely face. Like his mother.

And Jaid looked strong, intelligent, and very handsome. Like his father.

It was a beautiful portrait.

-----------------------------

Cougar awoke the next morning on the carpeted basement floor, the picture still in his hand. Yawning, he ran a hand through his messy brown hair and turned to the flashlight. It, no doubt, had burned out because Cougar had forgotten to turn it off. The storm had settled, and now the snow fell peacefully from the sky. It was like that for most of the week.

Much to Cougar's surprise, he did not spend the week alone like he had planned. Everyday, the shopkeeper's wife would drive to the farm and leave Cougar with plenty of food that she had baked herself. She never had anything nice to say about Jaid, but she was very kind to Cougar. Stuffed in the bottom of every basket were chocolate chip cookies, his favorite kind. Mackey came by too, just to stop in and talk for a while. He was a very funny character and Cougar enjoyed his company much. He brought books and showed them to Cougar and told the boy stories from back on the farm.

Anywhere that Cougar needed to go, such as the market, Mackey took him without complaint. Mackey's driving skills were poor, but Cougar was too young to notice. It was probably because Mackey always did sixty above the speed limit. A real Speed Demon.

It was times like those that Cougar wished that it had been Mackey who had found him that day, or even the shopkeeper and his wife. He wished it had never been Jaid.

-----------------------------

Two days before Jaid was scheduled to come home, Cougar had already decided that he didn't want to be there when he got back. That week, he had enjoyed the company of Mackey and the storekeeper and his wife. He didn't want to go back to being Jaid's 'worker'.

So that night, after the storekeeper's wife came by, he packed the food, a blanket, and all the money that Jaid had given him and walked outside. It was a clear night– – the first one that week. The moon hovered overhead, shining brightly down on him.

He trudged through the snow, the pack on his back, to the nearest train station. It was only a few miles away, not too far. But once there, he figured he would buy a ticket and go somewhere else. If he was lucky, he would be able to find someone as nice as Mackey or even the storekeeper and his wife. But he couldn't stay with either of them because he knew Jaid would come looking for his 'worker'.

Cougar didn't want that.

It was a cold night, despite the clear sky. He wore a thin coat over his shirt, and his pants bagged to the ground, soaking up the wetness of the snow. When he arrived at the abandoned train station, he seated himself on the steps of the station, waiting for the next train to arrive.

He wasn't there long before two headlights approached in the distance. Cougar pulled his knees up to his chest and stared at the lights, as though they had captivated them. The headlights belonged to a blue rundown car, a familiar one, Cougar noted. The car pulled over on the side of the road and the driver jumped out, the look on his face was of horror.

It was Jaid.

"Boy!" Jaid shouted. "What do you think you're doing out here!?" Jaid saw the fear in Cougar's eyes and forced himself to calm down, allowing the color to flow back in his worried face. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Cougar was just as surprised as Jaid. His eyes widened, and he stammered, "But…your trip…"

"I decided to come home early." Jaid told him and shut the car door. The snow crunched beneath his feet as he advanced towards Cougar and sat down beside him on the steps. "Mackey called me and chewed me out. Sorry about leaving you alone." When Cougar said nothing, Jaid continued. "When I got back, you weren't home. I called just about everyone I knew but no one had seen you. That's when I saw the footprints outside in the snow." Jaid chuckled. "If you're going to run away, you should do a better job of clearing your tracks."

Cougar breathed out heavily. His eyes were focused on the snow below him.

Jaid could only stare at him and wonder. "Why'd you run away boy?"

"Because…" Cougar mumbled.

"Because why? Speak up boy."

"Because…I…" And then Cougar stopped, defeated.

"Because I left you alone? Because I'm so hard on you? Is that why?"

Cougar nodded.

Jaid turned to look up at the sky. "I understand you miss your parents boy. But if I hadn't found you, where do you think you'd be now?"

To be truthfully honest, Cougar didn't know.

"You're still getting used to their death. I know it's hard for a kid to lose a parent. But you lost both. And that's even harder. You're used to a simple life and at times, you wish I treated you more like a kid…right?" The boy paused, and nodded slowly. "Hmmm, it seems that you're open to everyone else but me. Mackey told me so." Then Jaid sighed, the situation burdening him. "You wish I treated you like my own flesh and blood and you wish I was your father."

"I loved my father," Cougar replied.

"I know that, but instead of a boss, you wish I was more of a father to you, am I right?"

Cougar hesitated, but nodded again.

"Listen," Jaid began. "I treat you like my employee instead of my son because I don't want you growing up weak. If I pampered you and did everything for you, then you wouldn't have any real experience of the outside world. In just the last month, wouldn't you agree that you've learned more than you would've in just one year?"

"Yes."

"Are you being honest? Or are you just pulling my leg?"

"I'm being honest."

"All right then boy, you talk to me. I still need someone to help me out at home and you've got nowhere else to go. I don't want to be hanging that over your head as a control freak, but I just want you to realize it. What do you think you're gonna do out there?"

Cougar bit his lower lip. Now that Jaid mentioned it, he truly didn't have a clue.

"I…I don't know."

"Listen boy, I want what's best for you. I'm not trying to be an ogre or anything but if you learn to survive on your own now, then if something WERE to happen to me and someone wasn't as nice to take you off the street, then you would still be able to rely on your instincts and wits. Right?"

This was true. Cougar knew that Jaid was right.

"So what say you, boy? Are you willing to come back and help me again?"

Cougar looked up from his spot on the ground and met Jaid's eyes. He was hesitant, but he knew that without Jaid's help, he wouldn't be able to survive. Was Mackey right? Did Jaid really care about him?

"All right…" Cougar agreed.

Jaid smiled and hugged him. Something so very UNJaid-like. It startled Cougar and he watched Jaid reach into the pocket of his long overcoat.

"Mackey told me you liked listening to his stories and the books he brought over and since Christmas is so close, I thought I'd get you something now." He withdrew a small book and handed it to Cougar. Cougar stared at it blankly.

"What? You don't like it?"

"No…I love books. My father had many but…" Then with a sudden surge of guilt, Cougar looked up, his eyes wide, and admitted, "Mr. Jaid. I don't know how to read."

Jaid was taken aback. "Boy why didn't you ever tell me!? Didn't you ever get any schooling!?"

"I…I…"

"Well I guess we'd best start educating you now. It's always easier when they're kids anyway." And Jaid burst out laughing.

Cougar didn't know why, but he began to laugh too.

Then Jaid walked him back to the car.

-----------------------------

Yes I know that Cougar and Kazuma's lack of remembering names is due to their Alter Abilities, but I thought it would be funny if Cougar picked up the trait from his guardian and it was just influenced through his Alter (snicker). And where did he get the idea that it was okay to drive fast? Probably from Mackey. Okay, probably not, but I thought it was a nice little asset…doesn't mean that everyone else will think so but hey! It's just a story. Anyway, like I said, it's harder writing from the POV of kids. Perhaps as Cougar gets older it will be easier. And the story will pick up too…just a piece at a time.

Please R&R and thanks to those who have read the story.

PB13115


	3. Just Like Them

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

A/N: For those of you reading this who haven't seen my profile yet, I'm no longer here at FFNet. I'm at MediaMiner now. I'm just letting everyone know that the future chapters to this story will be over there. For more details, please see my profile. Thanks to all who supported me.

* * *

Tracing The Windowpane

--Chapter Three--

Just Like Them

* * *

Cougar spent the next two years at the farm. Now at the age of nine, he had become more evolved than what he had at the naïve age of seven. Jaid was trying, he knew that. As promised, he had educated Cougar since he could not afford to send Cougar to school. Money was not the issue, but Jaid could not afford to lose a worker.

But that was fine and dandy. Jaid himself was a very intelligent man who had gone to college in his earlier years before moving to the Lost Ground. Mackey told Cougar one day that secretly, Jaid had never wanted to become a farmer at all and had actually been Mackey who pressed for it. Jaid never blamed Mackey for his misfortune, but it was evident to Cougar that Mackey harbored the guilt of Jaid's fate.

But it was Jaid who taught Cougar to read and write and do arithmetic. And the boy was a quick learner, which startled his tutor. Each time Cougar was taught one thing, he would absorb it like a sponge and be eager to move onto the next lesson. At times, Cougar would learn faster than what Jaid could teach him. Ironically enough, as Cougar found out, Jaid had actually wanted to become a college professor, which explained how Jaid was able to teach Cougar everything he knew without skipping over something important.

Cougar's favorite subject was literature and many times Jaid would present to him a new book to read, which delighted the boy. When Cougar wasn't working, he was reading and read until way into the night. Fiction, non-fiction, physics, biology, mathematics, and beyond. It amazed Jaid at how even _he_ could not keep up with the boy.

Outside of education, which seemed to be getting the better of Cougar and often took up most of his free time, Cougar worked around the farm with several of Jaid's new workers. It was well into June now--harvesting time. The boy ran errands around the farm and in town. He didn't mind. He actually enjoyed the walk back and forth from town. If there was one thing that Cougar enjoyed more than reading, it was traveling.

But there was more to it behind the scenes of the farm. Although Cougar and Jaid were somewhat closer than what they had first started off as, Jaid remained distant, and his eyes were never focused. It was as though he wished to be somewhere else--on some far off land. Because of this, Cougar hadn't found the courage to bring up Jaid's past and Mackey would never give more than necessary. Cougar admired Mackey's loyalty.

On Cougar's side, however, the memory of his family was fleeting and regardless of what he desired, his memories disappeared from him. However, their deaths haunted him and he could not forget. He could not forget what had been the cause of their demise.

Alter Users…

'Jaid, what are Alter Users?'

The older man had tensed and froze in his tracks. His eyes fell to the floor, a bitter feeling running through his heart.

_'They're monsters.'_

And those same monsters had murdered his family. They were responsible for the brilliant flames that rode through the village like knights on horseback and took his mother and father from him.

Their faces were shadows to him now. Blurred.

Cougar detested those monsters. Alter Users. The same ones who caused such destruction in his life and the lives around him. This was what separated him, a human, from Alter Users, those monsters.

* * *

"Boy!" Cougar stopped loading the bundles of hay onto the truck. He wiped the bead of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Clad only in tan shorts and black sandals, he jumped from the tailgate of the truck and ran to meet Jaid.

"Jaid?" Cougar breathed, slowing himself in front of the bearded man. "What's up?" If there was one significant change about Cougar from the two year period that he had lived with Jaid, it would be the disappearance of his timidity and the evolution of his social behavior.

Jaid held a wad of dollar bills in his face. "Go into town would ya? Need you to pick up a loaf of bread and two cans of soup for dinner. Got that?"

Cougar took the money from the older man and stuffed it into his pocket. "Yeah." Reaching over to the water pump beside the truck, Cougar grabbed his white shirt and pulled it over his head.

"That's a good kid," Jaid flashed a grin, ruffled the boy's hair, and walked back to the fields with the rest of the workers.

* * *

Jaid was indeed an acquired taste. You never knew if he liked you or not. He had an incredible poker face and a will of iron. Nothing seemed to bother him. It took time for Cougar to get used to Jaid's complex behavior, never really knowing _how_ the older man felt about him.

But despite Jaid's beliefs in discipline, he was also lenient on the boy. Cougar, for the life of him, could never come home early. It was not because Cougar was slow. In fact, he was far from it. He was the only worker that Jaid had ever known to complete all of his work in a single day. And the work he would give the boy usually took a regular working fool at _least_ three days. What complicated matters even more was that Cougar was only a boy.

No, Cougar was not slow. But he _was_ easily distracted. Everything interested him. From books to nature to historical features and even features that weren't even historical! Jaid was patient with his 'attention disorder', although it thwarted the older man greatly.

But still…

…Even _still_…

Jaid could not help but feel fascinated by this boy. From the moment he had seen the boy curled up on the street corner, he had felt such a powerful resonance from the boy. He was definitely different than anyone else he had ever met.

* * *

"Thank you Sir," Cougar accepted the change and stuffed it into his pocket.

"You're mighty welcome, Cougar. You be a good lad now and run along. Oh, and make sure you do what Jaid tells you to." The old shopkeeper smiled.

"Don't I always?" Cougar laughed. He had gotten the quick wit and sharp tongue from Mackey, whom Cougar always seemed to be hanging around. It was **that **man who had helped wean Cougar away from his terrible shyness.

The old man mirrored the laughter, and Cougar bid him farewell, taking the groceries and walking out the door.

He hadn't gotten far down the old dirt road, the same one he took home everyday, when he was tackled to the ground by a larger force. The bag that had been in Cougar's arms was flung in front of him.

"Oof!" Cougar's face was welcomed by the ground as the larger weight sat on top of him, smothering Cougar's face into the dirt. His knees had been scraped in the fall and now hurt more than his face.

The form on top of him immediately jumped off, and the great weight left Cougar, which was a wonderful relief to the boy. With great celerity, the attacker snatched the bag from the ground and took off running down the road. Cougar, stunned, watched his belongings being carried off by his assailant and he instantaneously picked himself up from off the worn road and fled after him.

"Hey!" Cougar shouted after him, pushing himself harder, breathing in deeply. He stared at the back of the mugger and realized that the one who had robbed him was only a boy, no older than he. This would make it much easier to catch up to him, Cougar calculated.

No, he was no match for Cougar. After all, Cougar loved to run and he had never seen anyone faster than he. Already the boy in front of him was beginning to slow, staggering in his tracks as his feet gave out beneath him. Cougar could hear the boy's irregular breathing from ahead.

And within no time at all, Cougar was running side by side with the heaving boy, who suddenly began to fall behind. With a quick jerk, Cougar tackled the mugger from behind. Again the bag went sailing until it was several feet in front of both of them.

Now on top of his assaulter, Cougar leaned forward, enough so that he could speak to the boy and maintain his weight on top of him.

"What's your problem!?" The boy underneath Cougar cried, all the while of trying to rock back and forth, hoping to throw Cougar from his back.

"My problem!?" Cougar's small brows narrowed. "You started it!"

"You're being way too selfish with that food!" The boy retorted and Cougar used the palm of his hand to push the boy's face back the ground. "I just wanted a little bit of it."

"You took the whole bag!" Cougar argued. Again he pressed all of his weight on top of the boy, who began to wail.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! ALL RIGHT!" Cougar lessened his stranglehold. "I'm sorry. Geez, for such a little kid, you're a real thorn in my side."

"Well what was I supposed to do? Let you take all the food? Do you know how much trouble you would've gotten me into?" Cougar leaned back, but did not get off of the boy. "Besides, you're no older than me."

"Strange really," The boy attempted to avert his gaze over his shoulder but due to the position that his head was in, he found it impossible. "You're the first person I've ever known to catch me."

"You weren't all that hard to catch," Cougar blew the small brown fringe of hair from his eyes.

"That's a real shame." The boy sighed. "Everyone knows me as the thief who can't be caught. Then some kid like you comes along and disgraces my title."

"Next time you'll look at who you're mugging."

Cougar took this opportunity to observe his attacker. Although just a boy, he had the face of someone who was wise--someone who knew the streets like the back of his hand. His hair was blonde, wild, and stuck up all over the place. Across his forehead was a bright red bandana, tied at the back. He was a dirty kid, as though he was used to sleeping in ditches and sewer pipes, and most probably did. His clothes were tattered and torn and his shoes had holes all over them.

"You've got a real mouth on you," The boy replied. "Well then, now that I've met my match, Nemesis, would you allow me up? I'd like to see the face of the kid who bested me in battle."

Cougar was hesitant, but slowly rose up off of the boy's back, warily. After taking a few steps back, the boy pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his knees and then turned, smiling.

"Well I'll be," The boy laughed. "You really are just a kid!"

"You're no older than me," Cougar said again.

"I'm eleven. That's plenty old." The boy responded, running a muddy hand through his blonde hair.

"Yeah? Well I'm nine…" Cougar paused, looking up at the older boy. "…almost ten."

Then the boy gave a hearty laugh, his hands on his hips. "No kidding! I was beaten out by a shrimp!"

Frowning, Cougar replied, "'Shrimp'? Who are you calling 'shrimp'?"

Grinning, the boy extended his hand. "Kaz. Don't have a real name. You?"

Cougar reluctantly took Kaz's hand. "Straight Cougar. But 'Cougar' is fine with me."

"Cougar huh? Just like the cat." Then grinning, he said, "Pouncing all over the place?"

"I hardly 'pounce'," Cougar mumbled, then said a little louder, "But if you'll excuse me, I have to get this food home to my Guardian."

"Who's your Guardian?" Kaz inquired.

"Do you know 'Jaid'?" Cougar stooped over and picked up the bag. It had torn down one side, so he held the injured part of the bag close to his chest and continued along the road.

"The farmer? Of course! Well…not personally but I mean…he's not a stranger around these parts. Why? You related to him or something?"

"No. He's my boss. I work for him and in return, I live with him."

"Fair exchange. Hey, sorry about earlier. But you gotta realize where I'm coming from, being poor and all…"

For being a small boy, Cougar noticed that Kaz talked a lot…Almost as much as himself.

"I guess…it's okay," Cougar said reluctantly. "Just don't do it again."

"I'll be sure not to!" Kaz beamed. "Now that my name has been disgraced, no one will ever look at me right again!" Kaz was dancing around Cougar, talking to him with such hyperactivity. "Hey you don't mind if I follow you home or anything, right? Cougar?"

"Sure…I suppose…"

"Great! Hey, you know something, I really haven't eaten at all today, so you know…If I come to your house, that means I'm a guest right? And you always treat your guests with hospitality…so I was thinking…"

Cougar couldn't wait until Kaz finally stopped talking and crawled back to wherever it was that he had come from.

But little did Cougar know that Kaz was going to play an important part in his life before everything was said and done.

* * *

Jaid wasn't fond of Kaz. It wasn't that he didn't LIKE the boy, but he did talk an awful lot. Jaid didn't even know that boys were supposed to talk that much. For the past month he had done nothing but come by to visit Cougar…and…talk. He talked about everything. He talked about the Lost Ground, its history, the people in it, the things to do there– – most of the time it was dangerous things– – and anything else he felt like talking about. Strangely enough, with the amount of talking that Kaz did, he never once brought up his family.

He said that he came from an underground communion of boys, but that was about it. He had no real family, no parents, not even relatives. He did, however, have a stepbrother named Halley who was the leader of the boys. He remembered who Kaz's parents were, but said that they had died when he was just a baby. Kaz didn't think too much on it. He seemed happy anyway.

Jaid also noticed that whenever Kaz was around, Cougar never seemed to get anything done. This wasn't because Cougar got distracted from work of his own want and will, it was simply because Kaz distracted Cougar and just kept talking. Several times Jaid went out and handed Kaz a shovel, hoping that the thought of work would scare Kaz away. But this just seemed to delight the boy and he plucked the shovel from Jaid's hands, and began to work and talk all at the same time.

"I give up," Jaid muttered in defeat. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get Kaz to go home until it was late into the night. But then he'd be back early in the morning…earlier than what a normal boy was supposed to get up at. One time, he came knocking at the door at 3 a.m. dressed and geared up for farming.

"If you're so eager to farm," Jaid snapped as he stuck his head out the door and glowered down at Kaz (who had the biggest of grins on his face), "then start by picking out all the weeds around the yard!"

There were hundreds of them around the house. Mainly because no one cared about the house. But Kaz agreed anyway. And all the while he was picking weeds, he was singing folk songs off-key, keeping Jaid and Cougar awake.

Finally, Jaid stormed into Cougar's room, his face red with anger.

"He's YOUR friend! You go tell him to shut up!"

"What do you mean 'he's my friend'!?" Cougar retorted. "I didn't tell him to come over and start entertaining us with dying cat noises!"

Yes, Kaz took a bit of getting used to. But after a month's time, Jaid and Cougar both grew used to the boy and his talking and his gargling noises.

"He's just lonely," Jaid said, justifying the obnoxious boy. "He just needs a friend."

And whether Cougar liked it or not, he WAS that friend. Kaz couldn't be told 'no' and then properly understand what the word 'no' meant. But after some time, Cougar got accustomed to the boy and his presence.

"Cougar!" Kaz peeked his head into Cougar's window one day after Cougar was done with his chores. The younger boy could be seen relaxing on his bed reading.

"What?" Cougar asked, keeping his face behind the book.

"Wanna go light firecrackers in the old abandoned clinic down the road?"

"Not particularly."

"Awww come on! Okay fine. Wanna go and break into that store in town?"

"NO!" Cougar snapped, throwing his book down. "I happen to LIKE those people!"

"Okay, okay," Kaz climbed in through the window. "Hey what'cha reading?"

"What WAS I reading would be the better question."

"Okay, what WERE you reading?"

Sighing exasperatedly, Cougar sat up. "I forgot."

"You know you should get out and do something."

"I just got finished with five hours of chores. I'm exhausted. Besides, it's almost five."

"Speaking of being so late," Another voice came in through Cougar's doorway. "Jaid wants you to run to the market." It was Mackey. "Hey Cougar."

"Hey Mackey!" Cougar waved, smiling.

Mackey's eyes moved to Kaz, who was hanging over Cougar's bed. "Oh…Uh…Hey Kaz."

"What kind of greeting is that!?" Kaz frowned. "You're such a stick in the mud Mackey."

"Yeah you're right," Mackey laughed. "Seeing as you practically LIVE here I should greet you better. So how's life?"

"Peachy," Mackey responded and then pulled himself back onto Cougar's bed.

"He wants me to go to the market?" Cougar asked. "What for?"

"The usual," The older man shrugged. "Just get to it, I guess."

"All right," Cougar jumped off of his bed and ran past Mackey.

"Hey wait!" Kaz called after him. "I'll go with ya!"

"Hold on," Mackey said, barricading Kaz's path. "You and I need to talk."

"…About what?" Kaz asked charily.

Taking the boy by the shoulder, Mackey responded, "Now about those wakeup calls Jaid has been telling me about…"

* * *

"That's one…two…three dollars in cash," The old shopkeeper said, handing the money to Cougar. "I'll see you tomorrow Cougar."

"Thank you Sir," Cougar said, taking the money and stuffing it into his pocket. Then his fingers coiled around the small bag and he turned away from the counter.

"You take care, Sweetie," The shopkeeper's wife, who was restocking the shelves, waved to the boy.

"Thank you Ma'am," Cougar nodded. "Take care." And he stepped out of the door.

"That boy…" The woman looked after Cougar as he left the store. "Jaid is real lucky to have him around. I wish that he would treat Cougar better though."

"Darling," The old shopkeeper began to sweep the floor. "You have to remember the kind of man that Jaid is. He tries his hardest, but you know Jaid. He doesn't open up to anyone."

His dear old wife bit her lip, sorrow overwhelming her.

* * *

Jumping down the steps from the shop, Cougar made his trip back to the farm. But then he was stopped short as three burly men stepped into the road, their shadow enveloping him. They were all well built, decorated with tattoos and piercings that Cougar had never seen before. The man in the middle, he assumed, was their leader. A long green Mohawk lined his head and stopped at the back of his neck. The man to his right was bald completely and the man on his left had long blue hair that was tied back in a ragged cloth.

"Hey shrimp," The man with the Mohawk said, his voice deep and ominous. "That looks like a mighty big load for someone like you. Allow me to assist you…" He leaned down, his large hand reaching for Cougar's bag.

Quickly pulling it out of the larger man's grasp, Cougar clung to it protectively. "No that's okay. I think I can manage."

"I doubt that," The leader grinned and stepped forward.

Leaping backwards, Cougar stared up at the men with horror.

Before he knew what had hit him, the bald man had taken him by surprise, grabbing Cougar's shoulders and tearing the bag from his hands.

"Give it back!" The boy cried. "Give it back to me!"

The bald man tossed it to his leader who held it high above Cougar's head.

"You can have it back," The Mohawk man said coolly. "IF you can get it."

Releasing Cougar's shoulders, the bald man stepped back while Cougar jumped, his arms outstretched, desperate to get the bag.

"Heh, heh. Pathetic…" The bald man laughed and then threw it over his shoulder.

Terrified, Cougar ran around the Mohawk man, his eyes on the bag.

"Kid, you're such a disgrace." And the Mohawk man kicked Cougar in the back.

Falling to the ground with such force, the wind knocked from Cougar's lungs, Cougar remained dazed for the moment, until he was lifted up by the back of his shirt.

The Mohawk man left him hanging in midair, his fingers wrapped around the cloth of Cougar's shirt.

"Heh," The Mohawk man chuckled and the man with blue hair pushed himself in Cougar's face. "You're nothing but trash…taking up space here in the Lost Ground."

Snorting, the man with blue hair spat in Cougar's face and kneed the boy in the stomach.

Wheezing, Cougar wriggled violently out of the Mohawk man's grasp, clutching his stomach as he coughed unremittingly.

"What a wuss!" And Cougar was thrown to the ground, his lungs gasping for air. Turning over onto his back, the boy breathed in deeply, allowing the air to fill his body. "Be a man, you brat!" And then he was struck across the face.

Cougar opened his eyes weakly, the blood trickling from his lips and dotting the ground, and he wiped away the dirt and saliva from his face.

"Hand me the board," The leader instructed to the bald man. He was tossed a board and he immediately held it above Cougar. "You need discipline!"

"What in God's name are you doing!?" A door opened and a man with white hair stepped onto the porch. It was the shopkeeper. "Cougar!"

"No…" Cougar muttered, faintly, "Too…dangerous…"

"I'm calling the cops!" The shopkeeper shouted, prompting the three men to laugh.

"And what will THEY do?" The leader asked. "We're not Alter Users. They won't bother with us." Cougar could still see the board hovering overhead.

"Then I'll make you leave!" Holding onto his broomstick, the shopkeeper dashed down the steps and held the broom out in front of him.

"A broom!?" The Mohawk man laughed. "You ARE a fool old man!"

"Darling no!" The shopkeeper's wife hid behind the door, horror overcoming her. "Please!"

"This boy has done nothing to you," The shopkeeper said, ignoring the words of his wife. "Why do you choose to abuse him so?"

"Why!? Why that's simple! Because he's trash! And we OWN the Lost Ground! If we want him dead, then he dies!"

But the shopkeeper moved in front of Cougar's battered body, holding the broomstick closely to him.

"Won't back down old man?" The Mohawk man asked.

"That's foolish!" The bald man chimed in. "We'll beat you just as bad!"

But still the shopkeeper would not move.

"Fine!" The Mohawk man swung the board brutally at the old man, breaking through the broomstick and connecting with the storekeeper's chest.

The old man was knocked off his feet and crashed to the ground next to Cougar. Sputtering, the old man clutched his chest. "My…ribs…"

"On your feet, old man!" The man with the Mohawk swung again, battering the board against the old man's back.

Cougar's ears caught the sharp cry of pain from the old man as the three gathered around the old man, each taking a turn laying a blow into him.

"No! Stop it!" The woman shrieked, tears flowing down her rosy cheeks.

"Leave him alone!" Cougar begged, his knees quaking as he staggered to his feet. "Leave him alone!"

But the laughter emitting from the men only grew. And they continued to beat the poor old man to death. Cougar couldn't bear it. Couldn't STAND it! The shopkeeper was his friend! And no one could help him! He was going to die! Cougar cursed himself for his weakness– – cursed himself loudly…LOUDLY!

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Cougar screamed, his voice thundering with fury. His body grew heavy for a moment, as though a great pressure had been placed upon it. And then the men DID stop. Stopped only because what they saw before them filled them with great terror.

"A-Alter…" The bald man squeaked.

Cougar dashed forward, and as he ran he felt himself pick up speed. Faster…Faster!

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Cougar's voice rang in their ears as a blur of what had once been a human body rushed towards them and then stopped in a split second to connect with the Mohawk man.

The leader cried out as his large body was heaved into the air, higher and higher, until he became nothing more than a sparkle in the sky. Cougar was now where the leader had once stood, his eyes darkened with great hatred. The two other men could not pry their eyes away from him or from the metallic alloy that had attached itself to his legs.

"W-What are you…!?" The man with the blue ponytail trembled with fear, his cocky and hardheaded demeanor vanishing in an instant.

"I'll show you…" Cougar's voice echoed, as though a demon had been speaking in unison with him. Bringing his leg up high above his head, higher than any normal human could do flexibly, he smashed his leg against the man's chest, hurling through the air and through the wall of the shopkeeper's store.

"Dear God!" The old woman cried, holding her hands above her head as the man sailed above her, demolishing the wall like a wrecking ball.

"And now for you," Cougar's head jerked to the last remaining member of the brutal party, his body glowing with such an incredible aura, that it nearly blinded the man with the blue ponytail.

Jumping into the air, Cougar tucked his knee in behind him and swung his other leg against the head of the third man. With such great force, the man was hammered into the ground, skidding along the dirt road, arousing dust from the soil around him, and stopped a half mile down the road.

When the dust had cleared, the woman jumped down to her husband's aid, wiping the blood from his face with her apron.

"Dear! Dear!" She cried.

"I'm…all right," He whispered, clutching her waist for support. "I'll live."

"Thank God!" She wailed, burying his head into her bosom. "I was so scared!"

But then he pushed her away gently and he turned his head to stare at Cougar, who was looking right back at him. The anger had dissipated from within him, as did the metallic alloy that had encased his legs. Now he stood there, dumbfounded, saying nothing.

"Cougar…" The shopkeeper whispered. "You…"

"What…happened?" Cougar asked, hesitantly. He looked back and forth from the shopkeeper to his wife for answers. "Did I…?"

"Cougar what are you?" The woman asked him, the tears still rolling down her face.

Cougar was taken aback. What kind of question was that?

"I…I…" He stammered.

"You're an Alter User!" She cried.

He tensed, the hairs rising impulsively on the back of his neck. Was that what it was? Was that what had saved him and the shopkeeper?

"A…Alter User?" Cougar asked. "That was…Alter?"

His eyes pleaded with the shopkeeper, begging him to tell him different. But the shopkeeper only nodded weakly, his eyes tired and sad.

"It…It CAN'T be!" Cougar shouted. "I can't be an Alter User!"

He couldn't be the one thing that he despised! The one thing he hated more than anything else in the world!

"No! I…I…" Then he, too, began to cry. "I'm a monster…?"

He was just like them…just the same as them! Just the same as the people who killed his mother and father!

What would everyone think of him now? The shopkeeper and his wife? Kaz? Mackey? …What would Jaid think of him?

No, he couldn't bear to think of it!

"I'm a monster!" He wailed and turned on his heel, fleeing down the road.

"Cougar!" The old woman shouted after him. "Come back!"

* * *

He escaped to the docks located several miles down the road. It was easy for him, seeing as how his Alter allowed him to move at an incredible speed. He understood it now; why he loved to run, why he loved to travel, and why he could get work done at such an extraordinary rate. It was all thanks to his Alter. His ALTER. Now he couldn't be human anymore. He was just another killer.

The dock was left unattended and a small boat was lingering in the water, tied to the pole. Unraveling the rope from the end of the dock, he stepped into the small boat and used his hands to push off. The rope pulled away from the dock as the boat moved away from the shore and his eyes turned to the horizon.

But just before the rope fell to the water, a large boot stepped over the line, halting the boat from moving any further. The footsteps ceased, but Cougar sensed the presence of a man looming over him, just as he often did when he was around Jaid.

Spinning his body around, he met the eyes of that exact man. He wore his long black overcoat, hands shoved into the front pockets, hat on his head.

"…How did you find me?" Cougar asked, not too surprised that Jaid found him. It was the same as that time when he was seven, when he had tried to run away before.

"I got a call from the shopkeeper's wife," He explained, his voice nonchalant. "She told me that you were planning on running away. I really didn't know WHERE to find you until Kaz suggested that I try the dock. Supposedly, you two spend an awful amount of time down here. Guess I'll have to thank him for his help later." Then he grew quiet.

Cougar didn't know what to say. He cursed himself for getting caught, wishing that he had just left a little sooner.

"Why do you want to run off, boy?" Jaid asked. "Did I do something to offend you?"

"Not at all, Sir," Cougar replied.

"Well obviously I did. You're calling me 'Sir' again."

"I do it only because I'm a lower life form than you."

Jaid was puzzled.

"Didn't the shopkeeper's wife tell you what happened?" The boy asked, observing Jaid's reaction.

"There wasn't any time to," Jaid admitted. "I came out here looking for you. Got the whole house panicked, you did. Mackey and Kaz are out looking for you too. Even the shopkeeper offered to help look for you, but supposedly, he's real injured."

Cougar suddenly felt guilty. "Well it's my fault he's hurt. If you knew why, you'd agree with me."

"Maybe, maybe not. The most you can do now is tell me your troubles."

The boy could not find the courage to look his Guardian in the eye. "I'm…an Alter User…Sir."

There was silence. Much silence. And Cougar had expected it. He knew what was running through his Guardian's mind. Detestation…Hatred…Abomination…

"I see," Was all he said.

"That's right Sir," Cougar said. "Three men attacked me in front of the store and the shopkeeper came out to help. But when they started beating him so badly, I lost it. I'm not sure what happened after that, but the shopkeeper told me that it was…" He choked the last words out. "…an Alter."

"An Alter User?" Jaid asked. "So you used your Alter to protect the shopkeeper and his wife?"

"I couldn't let them kill them."

"Look at me boy," Jaid waited patiently for Cougar to look him directly in the eyes. "Let me tell you something. There are good and bad people all over the world. Bad people, like who attacked you, and good people, like the shopkeeper who tried to protect you. There are also good and bad Alter Users. Bad, like the Alter Users who murdered your parents, and good, like you when you tried to save the shopkeeper and his wife. It all depends on who you want to grow up and be. Do you want to be good or bad?"

"Good," Cougar answered.

"Don't tell me that if you're trying to please me," Jaid said. "Be sure to be true to your heart and tell me that you want to be a good person only if you truly want to be a good person."

Cougar sat in the boat, thinking long and hard. "So Alter Users…aren't bad people?"

"Let me answer your question with another question. Are YOU a bad person?"

The boy breathed in deeply, pondering, and then a smile broke at his face.

"Now," Jaid said, bending down to grab the end of the rope that he had been standing on. Reeling it in, he tied it back to the end of the dock. Then he stood up and offered Cougar his hand. "are you ready to go back home where everyone is waiting for you?"

"But what if they hate me?" Cougar asked, still uncertain of himself.

"Then they're narrow-minded people. But life is too short for you not to stand up for yourself. Everyone deserves to be free. If you're going to allow yourself to be pulled under by society's beliefs then that's what makes you weak. If you stick to your own ideals, then no one can ever hurt you. Wouldn't you agree?"

Cougar allowed Jaid's words to flow into him like a remedy and then he nodded. "I want to go home." And then he grabbed Jaid's waiting hand and was pulled back onto the dock.

* * *

ParallelBlue13115


End file.
